Limits on late-term abortion will be priority in GOP-led Senate vows McConnell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell foreshadowed issues a Republican-led Senate would tackle if the party secures control of the upper chamber this fall. Speaking in his home state, the Kentucky Republican told pro-life supporters at the National Right to Life Convention that he will push measures that limit access to abortion through the Senate if the GOP wins in November.

“I’m proud of my record and defense of life. If I was majority leader, we’d already have had a vote on it in the Senate,” McConnell said referring to a Senate bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks. “It’s long past time for us to join the ranks of most other civilized nations to protect children past 20 weeks in the womb.”

McConnell noted that Democrat lawmakers continue to block the Senate from voting on bills that would limit abortion access. He vowed to place pro-life legislation before the upper chamber quickly, unlike current Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who refuses to advance pro-life measures.

With over 100 days until the midterm elections, Republicans need to gain six seats in order to secure a GOP majority.

McConnell has introduced and supported a variety of pro-life legislation, including the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which protects children in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Kentucky lawmaker also supports legislation to limit abortion access and availability.

“No one regrets the choice for life – especially those who receive it,” McConnell said.

McConnell’s opponent, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, has stated that she believes that the choice to abort a child should be a decision between a woman and her doctor. Grimes said abortion law should be kept as ruled under the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which places no limits on abortion through all 9 months and allows states to restrict abortion only after viability, which is currently around 22 weeks based on current medical technology.